Thursday, May 16, 2013

Desmond healed from Autsim


I found a different version (slightly) of the story of Desmond and wanted to post it here.  Here is a video I have found also. I read somewhere that he is a college student now enrolled in Law School! God is awesome!!

Click here to hear Desmond's story.

A Different Desmond


The ticktock of a wall clock in the office where Annet and Adrie Oomen waited seemed a slow dirge compared to the staccato rhythm that shook Annet’s heart as she prepared to hear her son’s diagnosis. Outside the building, life in Holland went on as normal. Trains ran on schedule, people rode bicycles beside the canals, tulips lifted their heads to the sun and the warm scent of freshly baked bread and pastries filled the air.
But Annet was oblivious to it all. Her life centered on a single burning quest—to find help for Desmond. At only 4 years old, his world was spinning out of control. Thus far, no one had been able to explain why. Sighing wearily, Annet silently recounted her son’s brief, sad history. He’d been difficult from birth, crying inconsolably. At 3, he’d developed severe behavioral problems and stopped responding to his parents. Since then, he’d spent his days either running compulsively through the house or sitting alone staring blankly into space. He’d spoken only gibberish, and lived in a world where he was the solitary character. He showed little emotion, except for fits of rage.
On his fourth birthday, Desmond had started school—his behavior wreaking havoc in the classroom. His teacher had said, “Something is very wrong with this child.” She wouldn’t let him back in class until he’d gone through a six-month battery of tests. Now, at long last they would get answers to their questions.
The woman, a well-respected specialist in Europe, cleared her throat and opened Desmond’s file, “Your son has a very serious form of autism.”
“OK,” Adrie said, leaning forward, “how do we cure this autism?”
“There is no cure. It’s a complex disability that manifests during the first three years of a child’s life due to a neurological disorder that affects how the brain functions. In addition to autism, Desmond has a behavior disturbance and is mentally handicapped.
“We recommend he attend a special school for children with autism and psychiatric problems….The most you can expect is that he might someday get accepted into a special home.”
Suddenly, time stood still for Annet. Her heart slowed, keeping beat with the ticktock of the clock. She wondered how it could keep beating at all.
Out of Control
Somehow, it did. Somehow Annet and Adrie survived the heartbreak. But as weeks turned into months they realized that, like Desmond, they too had lost control of their lives. Their whole world now revolved around his condition.
“His behavior was so unpredictable our friends stopped coming by, and we only took him to visit relatives,” Annet explains. “Taking care of him was all-consuming. He banged his head on the floor. He slept very little. He refused to eat and was underweight. When his sister and brother were born, he never responded or reacted to them. The only thing that interested him was insects.”
Losing Faith
Annet was a Christian; Adrie was not. At church Annet found comfort, but no answer to the nightmare that was destroying not only her son, but her marriage and family as well. By the time Desmond was 7, Annet had lost all faith that even God could help them. In despair, she stopped going to church.
Still, life marched relentlessly on. Every weekday morning, Desmond went to his special school at 7:15…and every afternoon he returned home at 5:30. His school days exhausted him. But even so, most nights he didn’t sleep. When he did sleep, it was usually for no more than four hours, which meant short nights for his parents as well.
Annet and Adrie were often tired and yearned for a break, but any deviation from the routine was out of the question. “Autistic children can’t handle change or spontaneous events,” Annet explains. “If it was a beautiful day, we couldn’t just pack up the family and go to the beach. If we wanted a trip to the beach, we had to explain it to Desmond several days ahead. Then each day we had to remind him when we were going to the beach. When the day arrived, even if it rained, we had to go to the beach, because he couldn’t shift gears. Each day at exactly 6 p.m. we had dinner. At exactly 7 p.m. he brushed his teeth. We spent all of our time trying to satisfy Desmond. Autism reigned in our house.”
Choosing to Believe
In 1996, one of Annet’s friends invited her to visit Jubilee Church, under the leadership of Pastors Hans and Herma Oudhoff. From the moment Annet stepped into the small congregation, she experienced the love of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
When Pastor Hans heard about Annet’s situation he said the first positive words she’d heard in years. “Annet, you came to the right place because God wants to heal Desmond and He will heal him.”
Annet was furious. For eight years she’d lived with an autistic child. After years of specialists giving their expert opinions about Desmond’s condition,
how dare this medically untrained pastor even suggest that God could heal him?
After a few days, however, Annet began to reconsider. “I started thinking about what Pastor Hans said to me,” Annet remembers. “He read Deuteronomy 30:19, ‘I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live’ (New King James Version).
“I kept thinking about that and wondering, What if it’s true? What if Desmond’s healing hinged on a simple choice to believe or not to believe? I decided I would go back to church and do everything God told me to do through His Word and through my pastor.”
Taking a Stand
Pastors Hans and Herma, who were Partners with Kenneth Copeland Ministries and watched the daily broadcast on TBN satellite TV, had ordered the six-tape Healing School series by Gloria Copeland. There were some extremely sick people in the church they were pastoring, so they decided to translate the tapes into Dutch.
“November 1996, my pastors started teaching weekly Healing School which I attended,” Annet says. “Until then I didn’t know I had a covenant with God, and I had no idea the depth of what Communion promises. I didn’t know God hates sickness, and that it came from the devil. I didn’t realize the Bible says Jesus healed everyone who was oppressed of the devil. And I certainly didn’t know the power of my words.
“Healing School opened my eyes—no matter how impossible Desmond’s situation appeared, there is nothing impossible with God…I realized that for years I’d prayed out of fear and not faith. I’d also been double-minded—I asked God to heal him and then talked on the phone with everyone who called to hear the sad story of our lives. I had to change my prayer life, my words and who I talked to. I stopped spending time with people who didn’t have faith for Desmond to be healed. Most of all, I started speaking God’s Word over Desmond instead of man’s words.”
Annet also started taking Desmond to church. Since services often lasted for two hours or more, she expected to have trouble keeping him calm. To her great surprise, a peace fell over Desmond each time he stepped into church. It was the one place where he was at total rest.
Elsewhere, his obsessive tendencies were as bad as ever. But Annet used them for his own good. For hours on end, she taught him to confess, “I am healed.”
In addition to attending church and Healing School, Annet watched Christian programs after everyone else was in bed. She attended services at Eagle Mountain International Church via the Internet. Not a single thing changed. Desmond continued to live in his own world while the rest of
the family orbited around him.
From 1996 until early 1998, Annet continued her faith stand for Desmond’s healing, refusing to be moved by her circumstances, looking solely at God’s Word which said by Jesus’ stripes we “were healed.” Jesus paid the price for Desmond’s healing on Calvary when He paid the price for his salvation. Because Annet believed that, she praised and worshiped God, regardless of the circumstances.
An Ordinary Day
Nothing about that day marked it as special. Snow blanketed Holland, hiding the hope of spring’s vibrant green and vivid red tulips beneath a pale, icy crust. As Desmond crunched his way into the school, Annet knew that in a few months God would free the flowers from their frigid hiding place; and she fully expected Him to free Desmond in the same way.
That afternoon after school, 10-year-old Desmond did something he’d never done before. He walked up to his mother and looked her in the eye.
“Mom, can I ask you something?” he said. “Why am I at a school with strange children? They don’t talk to each other. They push each other down. They scream….”
Tears streaming down her face, Annet ran to the phone and called her husband. “You better come home because our miracle has arrived!”
Adrie dropped his tools and sprinted to his car, arriving home within minutes. For the first time, he sat down and had a conversation with his son. Annet couldn’t stop crying. Adrie couldn’t stop grinning.
A Date With Destiny
In the aftermath of Desmond’s miracle, Adrie gave his heart to the Lord Jesus, as did Annet’s mother, father and other friends and relatives. Annet and Adrie asked the specialists to retest their son. “He plays well with others,” they were told. “He listens well. He communicates well. He is obedient. He has a good grasp of sums. He is one year ahead in his reading level.”
Those weren’t the only changes. Desmond had never been able to ride a bicycle, skate, catch a ball or play sports. Now his motor skills were normal.
In April 1998, Annet and Adrie enrolled Desmond in public school, much to the disdain of the psychiatric staff at his special school. Annet and Adrie had to sign a document assuming responsibility for all the ‘risks’ involved. There was a long waiting list for the special care Desmond was getting, and
no easy way back.
But he was not going back. He went from a classroom of seven students to a class of 30. He mixed with hundreds of children on the playground. Within a few weeks he was riding a bike and playing sports.
“For the next two years, we taught him things most children had already learned: that cars run on gasoline, you have to pay for groceries and florists sell flowers,” Annet recalled. “By the time he was 12, he had caught up on everything he’d missed.”
When Desmond finished elementary school, he was admitted to Holland’s highest academic program where he not only excelled in his studies, but in sports as well. At 6 feet 5 inches tall, he is an avid soccer player. Now 18 years old, Desmond plans to study law. He is extremely sociable, and filled with joy and good humor.
“The mountain in Desmond’s life called autism didn’t just move. It collapsed!” Annet laughs. “How do you say thank you for a miracle like that? I thank God every day, for He is the healer. But I can’t help but wonder what would have happened to Desmond if Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and Hans and Herma Oudhoff hadn’t answered the call of God on their lives. I am eternally grateful they did.”
Today, Desmond Oomen’s life is no longer spinning out of control. It’s simply spinning—with love and laughter, faith and family. The boy who once had no future is hurtling toward his own divine destiny, and the family that once revolved around the autism that plagued him has found another, more divine orbit, in the light of the Son of God.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

ALL THINGS LINCOLN

I am in awe of Lincoln as he blossoms daily.  From a little boy who was marked off in every category except 1 for having Autism when he was just 23 months old, to a 3 1/2 year old little boy who has come SO far! I remember the day so clearly that it truly hit me, that in the natural he appeared to have Autism.  He stood in the back yard for a solid 20 minutes playing with mulch,  He would drop it over his head and watch it fall...over and over.  It was heartbreaking to watch.  Those were the days that when we went somewhere or left somewhere it was nightmare! He always had to be in the stroller strapped in with an iPad or something to catch his attention!

Just last week we went to he zoo and didn't even bother taking the stroller! He did amazing! 
Yesterday, Daniel and I were driving.  We let the kids get out of the car to play for a short bit.  When, it was time to go. Lincoln laughed and stayed behind not wanting to leave.  I was interested how Lincoln would respond, so I told Daniel to pretend he was leaving in the car and I would hide beside him and see how he responded.  You see at one time, Lincoln would have been so engulfed in rocks or mulch or transfixed on something that he would have not cared that we were leaving.  We would have to physically carry him to the car with him screaming and hitting the whole way. So, as Daniel started backing up, Lincoln starts yelling, " No Dad, don't leave!  Wait for me Dad, wait for me!"  I quickly ran and grabbed Lincoln and said, "we wouldn't leave you Lincoln!" I was amazed at how he responded!! Praise God that his mental cognition is what it is today!

Lincoln has improved dramatically in some of his scores that I follow. There is an evaluation system for when you start a new therapy or diet etc.  This gauges how "Autistic" the child is.  I used it for the first time immediately after Lincoln had been in speech therapy and 17 hours of ABA therapy for one year! His first score was quite high for all the therapy he had.  Then we started Lincoln on a GFCFSF diet and 4 months into the diet is when his score had dropped.  We didn't know if it was because of the diet or if because we removed him from some pretty intense therapy and he just needed a break. In November of 2012 we took Lincoln out of all therapy (See this blog) and off all diets and have just been seeking God and believing He healed Lincoln and Lincoln's scores have fallen dramatically!!


Read below and it tells you about the evaluation system.

I did this first in April of 2012 and his total score was 82. (0 is no Autism and over 100 is severe)   
This put him in the 80 percentile for Autism.

In August 2012, his score went down to 61! This put him in the 50 percentile.

As of today (9 months since last checking) his total score is 35!! This puts him in the 20 percentile!

My favorite part was when the tool asked what "type of behavior or treatment" were we measuring.  I simply wrote, "God  :)"

HE is amazing and I love walking this out and watching the manifestation of healing ever present in Lincoln's body! Praise God!

 


 


Some Professionals have developed the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) with the intent to assist parents, physicians and researchers evaluate virtually any treatment for autism. The scores are weighted according to the response and the corresponding subscale.  
The ATEC evaluates 77 items, such as whether the child knows his or her name, makes eye contact with others, or has symptoms such as bed-wetting, diarrhea, constipation and so on. These are divided into four sub-groups that measure the child in terms of:
 
  • Speech / Language / Communication (14 items)
  • Sociability (20 items)
  • Sensory / Cognitive Awareness (18 items)
  • Health / Physical / Behavior (25 items)
 
ATEC scores range from 0 to 180. The lower the score, the better. If a child scores zero or close to zero, that child can no longer be distinguished from non-autistic children and thus can be considered fully recovered. The important benchmarks in scoring are as follows:
 
  • ATEC < 30. This level places the child in the top 10 percentile. A child with score of less than 30 – or, better still, less than 20 – would have some ability to conduct normal, two-way conversations, and more or less behave normally. Such children have high chances of leading normal lives as independent individuals.
  • ATEC < 50. This places the child in the 30th percentile level. The child has good chances of being semi-independent. More importantly, he or she will not likely need to be placed in an institution. For many parents of autistic children, being able to achieve improvement up to this level is already considered very significant.
  • ATEC > 104. Even though the maximum score is 180, any person with a score of more than 104 would already be in the 90th percentile, and be considered very severely autistic.


The range of scores, and their percentile levels, are shown in the table below:
 
PercentileATEC score
mild autism
0 – 9
0 – 30
10 – 1931 – 41
20 – 2942 – 50
30 – 3951 – 57
40 – 4958 – 64
50 – 5965 – 71
60 – 6972 – 79
70 – 7980 – 89
80 – 8990 – 103
90 – 100
severe autism
104 – 180

Monday, May 6, 2013

More Healing Stories

I am continually just stirred by "Good Works"  going on around me.  I am constantly hearing healing stories of people and their children and it helps strengthen my faith and what I believe. Last night our church started a conference called, "It's a Miracle." Jason Lee Jones was there doing worship (spontaneous, prophetic worship).  He started singing about his story.  He told of how one of his children was born blind....NOW THEY SEE.  Then his daughter was born not breathing (I think) and the Doctors said she would have to have some major heart surgery to fix some major defects. They stood believing that no man would ever have to lay hands on her and that she would literally heal from the inside out. They even named her accordingly with some name that mean "Butterfly" in a different language.  In English, it meant "healing from the inside out."  Well she did just that and they had to cancel the surgery and her heart is whole and healthy today! That is the awesome stuff God wants us to receive today!  Stories like this remind me of why I know my little boy is healed from Autism and NOTHING shall by any means harm him. This should just be our nature to accept what Jesus died for...... for you and me! I won't spend my whole life believing for just one thing in my life!  I want to accept his healing and move on and help others!  Calling it finished and received on Lincoln's behalf!

He also spoke of David and when he carried the arc. He referenced us and how sometimes we carry things we weren't meant to carry on our shoulders.  Our hearts are right but our application is wrong! I feel like this has been my story with Autism.  It wasn't something I was ever meant to carry and I have carried it far too long.  My heart was right but the application was wrong.  Goodness...what freedom there is in that!

When I got home last night, I watched something from Sid Roth on a woman who's son has been healed of Autism. It was encouraging none the less.  I love finding other people who have seen God's healing in their own lives.  I feel like we are living this out and all I want to do is share it with everyone, 

Be encouraged no matter what you are going through! God is our healer!


Video of little boy healed of autism

Saturday, May 4, 2013

YOU are awesome

Ever fall into the trap of comparing yourself to someone else?

You start to think things like:

  •  Wow, she is prettier than me
  • Her kids are so well behaved
  • How does she have the time to do all she does
  • She is SO patient with her kids

I have thoughts like these often.  Sometimes I cast them out quickly and sometimes I let them get the best of me. It's a bad trap to get yourself into.

In this day and age, social media is huge.  We all post things about ourselves in regards to our strengths, our family, maybe our working out schedule, etc.  We all look so wonderful from the outside, we post the best pictures and the highlights of our lives. We post our "highlight reel".  Don't forget that.  I am not perfect and neither is anyone else.  We all have different struggles and different paths we walk.

So, stop comparing ourselves to each other and look towards Christ! He is the answer to all. If we keep our focus on Him then we keep our focus in the right place. Compare ourselves to CHRIST and then we will find plenty of areas we can improve in.




Friday, May 3, 2013

Why I blog..........

About Me:

I had to update my "About" section and this is what I came up with.....


I am first and foremost a child of God, wife to one amazing man and mom to 3 amazing kiddos!  I have always enjoyed writing and the blogging stuff looks fun.  However, I am a bit more serious when it comes to my blogging.  I appreciate the Moms out there who can write about the simple pleasures of this life; kid's clothing, meals, etc.  I feel I have something to share in a different area and I am passionate about what I write about. 

You see two years ago, we accepted a diagnosis of Autism for my not even 2 year old son (at that time).  I was unaware of the authority I had as a child of God.  I didn't know enough about healing and God's goodness at the time to fight that battle. I always said I didn't accept Autism but in reality I did.  So, I delved into therapy and diets and did as every other person who had a child with Autism would do. I forgot that I was a child of the Most High and the power that I had within me.  Looking back, I am saddened by this because of the time that was lost. But I know that what the thief has stolen, the Lord restores!  Don't be fooled, sickness or any imparity don't come from God.  All that comes from Satan.  Don't believe me?  Read the Gospels and see that Jesus healed ALL who were oppressed.  Then read the Great Commission on what we are called to do. I started acting on this in the past year and especially in the past 6 months.  I have taken extreme measures to retrain my mind and study the Word of God and it has been nothing short of glorious.  I went from having what was considered a "nonverbal" little boy that could only count and say ABC's, couldn't even say, "mama or dada," couldn't convey needs or wants to a little boy that can do SO much today.  He talks to us, tells us his wants and needs and has advanced tremendously.  Did I tell you I took him out of therapy and this is when he has blossomed.  God's hand is upon us and I call Lincoln healed...it's already been done! This is what I am passionate about!  There is a world out there who needs Jesus and a community that needs healing!  I don't preach Autism Acceptance or tolerance for my little boy.  I don't accept it.  I will only accept the healing that God has promised us through Jesus Christ! I share our story because I have shared it from the beginning and have always had a community of supporters in all aspects.  I think it is important that they see our situation turn out for good. I want to share this with others and bring them hope for their situations.  I want my situation to point others toward Him.  So, please join me as I tell you our story and I proclaim the Goodness of God and join us as Lincoln's full manifestation of healing comes forth! I know the day is coming when I will return to the Dr. who diagnosed Lincoln and he will confirm that Lincoln no longer qualifies for an ASD diagnosis. Praise God!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Intro to my kids and a little park fun!

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PARK FUN!

I forced the kids to dress up cute and take pictures at the park.  They did not last very long but I got a few (45 at least) cute shots!


This little girl is the sweetest little fireball of a daughter I could have ever imagined having.  Love her!  She gives these boys a run for their money any day of the week.

 





 My sweet 5 year old Lucas kissing his baby sister.  He is my only one that didn't get the red hair.  He is my little mini-me ( I am trying to break him of that). He is so sweet with everyone and loves giving his mama flowers and leaving me notes when him and his Daddy go somewhere.

This little guy has many names; Lincoln (his given name), Sweetness, and most recently Linky J.  He is a lot of what I blog about. I have learned faith with him and what healing truly is.  Proud to be his mom (as well as all of my kids) and proud of all of his accomplishments!
 

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